Survey research measurement issues in evaluating change: A laboratory investigation

Abstract

Efforts to operationalize the alpha/beta/gamma change typology have suffered from a notable limitation. Virtually all have been conducted in field settings, thereby limiting the degree of experimental control over outcome criteria. Recognizing this limitation, the present study employed a laboratory methodology to investigate two research questions related to scale recalibration (beta change) in temporal survey research. Application of this methodology permitted random respondent assignment, exact replication of stimuli, and systematic time interval variation for the pretest-posttest design. Furthermore, the use of these procedures permitted testing the use of the retrospective design in assessing organizational change. Implications of the findings for the measurement of change are discussed.